140 years ago - only two years after Bulgaria’s liberation from the Ottoman Yoke, the Principality of Bulgaria adopted its own currency. And in order to invest it with a strong and independent future, the parliamentarians gave it the name "lev", as was the pronunciation at the time of the Bulgarian word for lion, “lav”.

The minting of coins in Bulgaria dates back to the 13^th century when the name of the Bulgarian ruler Tsar Ivan Asen II was first written on а coin. On May 28, 1880, a sitting of the Second Ordinary National Assembly of Bulgaria was held, which ended with the adoption of the Law on the Right to Mint Coins. At this sitting, the deputy Stefan Stambolov insisted that the currency be called "franc" following the example of Belgium, and Dr. Ivan Bogorov, a prominent linguist, publisher and encyclopaedist, suggested the name “svobodnik" (freeman). In the end, the deputy Yosif Kovachev prevailed in the discussion with the name "lev". The Law on the Right to Mint Coins in the Principality of Bulgaria entered into force on June 4, 1880 and this date is considered to be the birth date for the Bulgarian currency "lev" and its subdivision "stotinka".

You can read more about the history of the Bulgarian currency in the publication from the archives of Radio Bulgaria HERE.

English Rossitsa Petcova